Fluxing the Capacitor
by Lilith Lunatic
Summary: After Doranda, Rodney felt as if Atlantis might be better off without him. When an accident offworld sends him several years into the future, he discovers he might just be needed after all, and not just for his brains. Avd.gen.friendship.
1. Chapter 1: No Touchy

**STARGATE: ATLANTIS**

_**FLUXING THE CAPACITOR**_

**CHAPTER ONE: NO TOUCH-Y**

Major Lorne hated missions like these. Sure, there were no Wraith trying sunk his life from his chest, or Genii trying to capture him for trade of Jumpers and C-4, or gross bug things trying to give him a particularly bad hickey. It was worse. More terrifying than all the infinite number of ways to die in the Pegasus Galaxy and it was all summed up in one word: McKay.

Dr. Rodney McKay had been in a particularly terrible mood for a while now: launching into tirades nearly by the hour, terrorizing the entire science department, infirmary team, military contingent, and one poor Athosian with horrible timing. It had taken sixteen hours, much coaxing from Teyla and Halling, and a bar of chocolate for Jinto to come out of that storage closet after a very close encounter with McKay, an Ancient device, and a rubber ball. Needless to say, Jinto wasn't likely ever to follow his playthings into the science labs ever again.

All of this traced back to the Arcturus Project, Doranda, Dr. Elizabeth Weir, and Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard. Not to say that his superiors hadn't handled the situation in a manner they thought fit, but Lorne wasn't so sure that the treatment of Dr. McKay for the past weeks had changed anything except build unneeded tension and turn the expedition against one of senior staff member. The member, Lorne believed, they would need the most in the coming weeks and months, possibly even years.

Lorne sighed, checked his watch, and turned to observe the off-world team before him. They'd been here on M7X-211 for about an hour and McKay had already sent three scientists away sobbing, four hyperventilating, and one in a violent fit. They were all giving him wide berth for now, as it appeared only Miko, the diminutive Japanese woman, could dare to approach him and not set him off. Maybe because she walked and talked so quietly she didn't set off McKay's "stupidity sense" (according to the acerbic astrophysicist). When Stackhouse had asked "Like Spide-y sense," McKay gave the patented 'you're a moron' sneer and snarled "Sure, whatever."

Digressing, Lorne decided he really hated missions like this.

* * *

Cadman rolled her eyes for what seemed like the millionth time today as McKay berated yet another scientist whose face was quickly changing its shade from fuchsia to mauve. Laura half-wondered, half-hoped this one would punch McKay right in his arrogant mouth. Despite her personal stake, the scientist had his tablet ripped from his hands by his boss and sent on his not-so-merry way, fuming.

She rolled her eyes again and trotted in a general direction toward her superior, taking a glance around the sparse surroundings.

M7X-211 was a savannah-like planet with grass that would have been as far as the eye can see, except for a structure two clicks north of the gate that was obviously Ancient. Inside was what, at first, seemed and empty room with door-less closets, three on each side and two on the back wall with a plain metal square resting between them. After much humming and spinning about in random directions by the CSO, McKay gave a loud, "Ah hah, of course!" and walked to the square that, with some fiddling, opened. Apparently, this controlled the other functions of the room as well for between the other alcoves on the side walls slid out, as well as one in each corner at the back rose up from the floor.

Without turning around McKay pronounced, "Scientists: get to work; Marines: _don't touch anything_!"

The Major sighed again, for what seemed like the millionth time, Stackhouse came up on his other side and smirked for what seemed like the millionth time, and Laura rolled her eyes for the millionth and second time today.

"Sir, how much longer are we going to stick around here?" Stackhouse asked, adjusting the straps of his P-90.

"You got somewhere to be, Charlie?" Lorne jested half-heartedly. He was bored, too, no doubt.

"He's got a hot date, sir." Laura revealed, wagging her eyebrows mischievously.

"How did you-!"

"Girls Poker Night, Sergeant. Certain redhead's a regular attendant."

"See your point, Stack," Lorne replied sarcastically, but then turned to the scientists and Marines milling about. "Let's move out."

"We just got here," McKay called back distractedly, barely glancing at them.

"You said that six hours ago, McKay."

"And Atlantis isn't expecting our check in for another six! We have plenty of time, Major," and as if to prove it, McKay made his way to the back right alcove of the outpost, hesitating for a moment before pushing onward into the tiny space.

Lorne sighed again, shrugged at a smirking Stackhouse, and leaned against the wall behind them, only to jump back forward less than a second later with a quietly startled and not completely masculine, "Gah!"

Cadman and Stackhouse both turned on their heels, P-90s raised, only to aim at a new panel sliding out of the wall.

They lowered their weapons as Major Lorne approached the panel. This one was different from the others. Instead of coming up or out of the floor and walls to rest on the ground, the panel hung from the wall about five feet in the air and a foot in width and length and several inches thick. It looked like and horizontal version of the panel at the back of the room, sticking out of the wall in place of resting in it.

There were no visible buttons or crystals like there were on so many other bits of Ancient tech across the galaxy. The only markings were an indention to place the hand and a bar with two symbols that were probably Ancient. Laura heard Stackhouse pose the question she was wondering herself.

"What the hell is it, sir?" The sergeant sidled to the side out of the way when the major stepped forward cautiously and peered at the panel.

"Don't know. Figure we better find out, though...," the Major murmured, looking over his shoulder at McKay who had just exclaimed a very loud "OW! Shit!"

"But Doctor McKay said-."

"We know what he said, Stackhouse," Cadman said, rolling her eyes once more for good measure. Laura came up beside the major, laying a hand on the bar and it spun beneath her fingers. She let go quick, and turned to look at Lorne, raising her eyebrows. He just shrugged and reached his hand forward, slipping it slowly onto the indention.

A low humming sound emitted soon after and magnified tenfold when the major's hand encased completely in the indent. Laura saw Stackhouse turn toward the back of the room where a high keening sound erupted from one of the alcoves in the back.

Then he shouted: "McKay! Get out of there!" Laura turned in time to see that a glass door had shut McKay in; he was banging on the door, shouting something, but he couldn't be heard as the shrill sound reached its climax. Cracks appeared all across the glass as a light blinded everyone in the room as Stackhouse shouted again and the sound of bursting glass joined the chaos.

When the smoke had cleared, all the glass fallen, and the light faded, they could see again.

Rodney was gone.

* * *

**Stargate not mine, no matter how often I ask Santa...**

**Let me know what you think.**

**And if anyone can refer me to a lovely beta, that would be... well, lovely.**

**Lilith.**


	2. Chapter 2: Idiotless

**STARGATE: ATLANTIS**

_**FLUXING THE CAPACITOR**_

**CHAPTER TWO: IDIOT-LESS**

"Unscheduled off-world activation!" The Canadian tech called to the already aware expedition members in the gate room as klaxons whirred to life. There was a whoosh and: "Major Lorne's I.D.C., Dr. Weir."

"He's early for check-in. Lower the shield." Dr. Elizabeth Weir activated her radio as Colonel Sheppard came to stand beside her on the balcony overlooking the Stargate below. "Major?"

"Dr. Weir, we have a slight... er, problem," a clearly nervous Lorne reported over the com.

"What'd McKay blow up this time?" Sheppard asked and Elizabeth pinned him with a glare. He at least had the intuition to looked chagrined.

"Colonel Sheppard? Nothing. Nothing was blown up..."

Lorne was dancing around the subject.

"What happened, Major?" Elizabeth said before Sheppard opened his mouth. "I take it there is some matter of concern considering you dialed in early?"

"Yes, ma'am. Dr. McKay-"

"What'd he do?" Elizabeth raised an eyebrow at the Colonel.

"Nothing, sir. It was my fault. Dr. McKay's... gone."

"Gone? What do you mean 'gone'."

"He means, sir," another voice, female, cut in, "that Dr. McKay was in one of the alcoves of the Ancient facility when _we_ accidentally activated something."

"Lieutenant Cadman?" Elizabeth queried.

"Yes, ma'am."

"What the hell did you activate?" Colonel Sheppard demanded.

"We don't know, sir."

"Stackhouse. Where did McKay _go_?"

"We don't know, sir," Lorne sighed.

"There was a humming noise, and the glass door came down trapping the Doc in the alcove. Then there was a flash, and he was just..." Stackhouse explained.

"Gone," Elizabeth finished with a sigh.

"I take full responsibility, sir," Lorne said loudly.

"With all due respect, sirs, ma'am, it was all our faults," Cadman ground out in irritated loyalty, standing by her C.O.

"As much as I appreciate your acceptance for consequences of your actions, this isn't helping Rodney," Elizabeth said over the arguing team. "Now, what do you need from our end?"

"Drs. Zelenka and Beckett. As much as I get the science team out here trying to help, Dr. Zelenka's probably the best for the job with McKay indisposed." Lorne clarified.  
"Understood. And Carson?"

"We don't know what that machine did to him, ma'am. McKay's likely hurt." Cadman informed them succinctly.

"Is there any evidence of that?" John asked worriedly. Elizabeth couldn't help but be a little less peeved at him when he became concerned for Rodney, no matter how he's been treating him in the aftermath of the Arcturus project.

"No, sir," this time the Sergeant spoke, "but better safe than sorry."

"Alright, we'll have the team together as soon as possible. Weir out."

The gate shut down.

As Elizabeth reached for her ear piece, Colonel Sheppard stopped her.

"I'll do it. I'm going with them."

Elizabeth nodded, and would have smiled when Sheppard left to contact Radek and Carson if worry for Rodney hadn't been eating at her.

* * *

Rodney's first thought as he regained consciousness was he was surrounded by idiots. Honestly, was he speaking Ancient when he'd said 'don't touch anything.' Maybe he hadn't grunted enough for it to translate into Neanderthal.

But why was he keeping all this to himself? Surely those at fault for his current state deserved to know the fruits of their moronic labor?

"Alright, who the hell touched something," Rodney called out opening his light-blinded eyes slowly, "they... shouldn't have...?"

As it turns out, he _wasn't_ surrounded by idiots. There was no one else here.

"Oh, god," Rodney squeaked hoarsely. He tried to stand up off the glass littered floor only to find that not only did his aching muscles not appreciate that one bit, but the floor wasn't the only one littered with glass shards. "OW! Ow, ow, ow, ow..."

Rodney leaned conscientiously against the alcove wall, breathing deeply and slowly. As much as he didn't feel like being comparable to Swiss cheese, he had to be glad that the glass had broken because he would be trapped behind it and in this entirely too small space, otherwise.

He took in another deep breath and then walked through the facility with the support of the wall Rodney was quickly becoming friendly with, for now at least.

Rodney examined the currently idiot-less area. The facility had been practically stripped of anything of use or purpose, pretty much anything that might be helpful to him. Damn it.

Then it hit him, they had _left_ him here. Rodney knew the Colonel was pissed at him, but he thought he'd applied to the whole 'never leave a man behind' shtick. They'd just... left him here...

_Unless! _Unless there was an incident on Atlantis and they'd had to leave right away! But in that case they'd still left him here and took the time to pack up the technology that had once been around him.

Rodney didn't really want to think about the other option: Wraith. Everyone might have been culled. And the Wraith stole all the technology? That didn't make sense either; they usually just blow it up.

_Like you?_ A nasty little voice that sounded a bit like his mother sneered in the back of his head. He told it to stuff it.

In the case that the off-world team _had_ been culled by Wraith with a taste for Ancient tech (as unlikely as that was, and why hadn't he been culled with the others, unless they thought he was dead, yes, that was it, not that he's been left here, nope), Rodney needed to get back to Atlantis so Dr. Weir could form a search team.

He wouldn't give up.

* * *

**Thanks to those who reviewed. Oh, and Z, yeah, that's the exact description of a beta, well, mine anyway.**

**Please review. All are welcome.**

**Lilith.**


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